Studying abroad is not as big of a challenge as most people would think.

If you plan it right, you

Start your process early. In general, try to finish your entire application 1 month before the actual
deadline as this will give enough time for the professors to turn in their recommendations and
for your transcript/test scores to arrive at the university.

1. Test scores: Most universities have waived GREs during the pandemic but having a good
GRE score will help you secure admission in a reputed university. English proficiency is a
mandatory requirement for all applications abroad. Even if it’s waived by some universities if
your medium of instruction at undergraduate program was English, most on campus jobs,
Teaching Aide/Assistant roles and Research roles require a good English test score with a score
in Speaking of over 7 in IELTS or over 24 in TOEFL iBT. Ideal time frame to prepare for these
tests is preparing in 3rd year and finishing the tests by the July of Final year as most
applications have a deadline between October - January for fall intakes. Some universities
accept your test scores if you upload. But some require you to send the test scores through the
testing agency either via a post or electronically which may take upto 3-8 days. Hence
plan/apply accordingly.
2. Letter of Recommendations: Please take an LOR from a professor you have worked with on
some project or research at a university rather than looking for the seniority of the professor.
This is because Colleges want to know you and how well you can contribute to their research
advances. They try to derive your personality and see if you will be able to adapt to their culture.
Try to have your LORs ready by the middle of September in case you are applying for a Fall
term. Make sure you have a good rapport with the professor who recommends you as every
college sends a link (which usually expires within 3 business days) for the professor to upload
your recommendations. Do not wait until the last day to apply to a university as some
universities have a hard deadline and if you cannot turn in your LORs by the deadline if a
professor is not available then it will become invalid application. Most universities ask 2-3 LORs
but its always better to have 4 just in case one of the professor is not available to turn in their
recommendation.
3. Resume building: There are a lot of online courses in coursera/ udemy. Do atleast 2-3
courses or certifications related to the masters you wish to perform. Do atleast a 3 month
internship at an organization if possible or a 40 hour course certified by Google or some good
university. Pick up few skills to showcase that you can handle some research etc.
4. Statement of Purpose: This is a very important document. Spend your entire summer
vacation at the end of third year of undergrad to prepare this. List out all your experiences,
achievements, roles or clubs or events participated. List out some 2-3 projects you have worked
on and explain them in detail on what your contribution was. Prepare a list of universities and
note down why that program is suitable for you.
5. Transcripts: Most universities take upto 30 days worst case to produce your undergraduate
transcript. Some american universities accept if a scanned copy is sent. But some universities
require you to ship it to the University registrar services.
6. Target universities: Use US university graduate ranking and target universities. Usually test
scores help determine what kind of colleges you can apply to. For instance, I got a score around
305. So I will have two universities with a higher GRE requirement, two safe colleges which
have a minimal GRE requirement and two same level requirement college. Do consider your
financial standing, weather tolerance, cost of living, minimum wages, city/countryside colleges
and corresponding job availabilities, funding received by the university, # of people from your
community in case you do not want to get lonely.etc when you choose a university.
7. Academics, test score, Experience… you can have 2/3 of these to get into a college.
8. Tuition fees: Most universities right now has a tuition fee of $55000 - $75000. It may seem a
little daunting when you convert them to INR (rupees) but remember that there is always an
option for loan and also your starting salary will be around $100K. So repaying your loan
shouldn’t take more than 3 years.
9. Loan application: Most state/ government owned banks take upto 6 months for processing
and some banks have different repayment policies for different countries. Be aware of them
before you apply for a university. In case of a collateral loan, the interest rates would be lower. In
case of a non collateral loan, your total loan amount will not be sufficient for the current tuition
trends. Hence look at other loan options like Prodigy in case you plan on doing masters in the
US.
10. I-20: This is a very important document that is to be requested if you accept an admit letter.
Make sure you prepare a finance proof for atleast $50000 in order to get this document to be
eligible to apply and attend visa interviews.
11. Visa application: Most countries take around 5-7 weeks minimum and 4 months maximum to
process visa. Hence, make sure you apply for a visa atleast 3-4 months before your course start
date.
12. Build connections: If you want to know more information regarding a particular course at a
university try to connect to them through any alumni resources if they used to study in the same
university as your undergrad or connect on LinkedIn. Most people are helpful if you ask the right
questions.

But do remember, this is not their primary occupation. Most seniors help out of
obligation as they received some sort of help from their seniors. It’s like a chain. But some
people get really annoyed when the conversation is like a small talk. It’s better to get to the point
rather than beating around the bush because time is precious. Start being a professional when
you ask for help. No one has time to reply to a good morning, good evening, how are you,
where are you, what are you doing etc. These are baseless questions that kill a conversation.
Also, do some research on your end before approaching someone for help. Nobody has time to
deliver every piece of information to your lap. I understand this is a huge step and its your first
time. We’ve all been there. But there is a way to talk. Come to study and extend your
knowledge. You will automatically get a job if you are skilled. But instead I hear a lot of what is
the job perspective if I do this course etc is very vague. Instead, google it first and ask seniors
what course to be taken for this role or when to apply for a particular job. Ask if you can take a
particular course and the difficulty level of a course instead of asking what course should I take
when you get an admit. Ask them if they can refer you for a particular role with a job id if
possible instead of asking for an on campus job explicitly. And please please give them atleast
8-16 hours to respond to your message. Usually once people get into workforce, they do not
check their personal accounts every now and then. Send a reminder after 24 hours if you
haven’t heard back from them. Don’t expect a reply for every text immediately and send multiple
hi.. hii.. hiiii….

Most importantly, its okay to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Its okay to not
have everything. Better thing s will approach you if you work smart and work hard. Not having
an on campus job in your first semester is still ok. You’ll have more time to get adjusted to the
new culture/environment and study well. It’s okay to have a B grade. Not all people with a 4.0
GPA land a job first. GPA only matters until you land your first job. After that only your work
speaks. It’s okay to not have a summer internship. Some departments have hard times with the
industry hiring trends. Not all people with a summer internship convert it into a full time offer. It’s
okay to not have a Teaching or Research assistantship. You’ll pay a little extra fees but you’ll
earn it back again. Just because someone had a particular gpa or a job and you did not, doesn’t
make you any less. Focus your time and energy on how you can bridge that inadequacy
through some courses or projects.

Just go with the flow. You never know what surprises are in store.